


The Mascot

by Alaranth89



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Cats, F/M, I have officially lost it, I should be working on my WIP but I wrote this instead, Post-Finale, The Astro Ambassadors, a wee bit of Dousy, and as always, mild s7 spoilers, no betas we die like men, nobody asked for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27477034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alaranth89/pseuds/Alaranth89
Summary: My girlfriend wanted a cat.I said no.So we compromised and got a cat.-Internet ProverbDaisy and Kora adopt a cat on the Zephyr. Daniel is reluctant.
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 18
Kudos: 74





	The Mascot

Daisy dragged her feet on the way back to the Zephyr, her body aching and brain foggy. The last mission left her completely drained and more than a little bruised. However, she was in charge and they needed supplies. Haggling with the local depot for parts and fuel exhausted her further. She still thinks she got cheated on the fuel price. Thankfully, she had sent Kora to resupply the food stores. They met up on the walkway back to the ship and leaned on each other for a moment before setting off.

“Get any good loot?” Daisy asked.

Kora checked the list on her tablet, “Got pretty much everything on the list. I know our rations are fine. But it’s always nice to have some fresh stuff around. Even got those weird fruity thingies that Daniel says taste like ‘original’ bananas. Whatever that means.”

Daisy made a face. “Bleh. He can have those things to himself. Dork.” She caught the smell coming off the cart ahead of them and her stomach rumbled. “Oooooh. That smells good. Want some?”

Kora looked at her as if that was even a question, “Um. Yeah.”

They stood in line for a bit and discussed when their supply orders would be delivered to the ship. While Daisy placed their order with the loud and friendly vendor, Kora took note of the local street critters flitting about the cart hoping for some scraps. “Looks like some things stay the same no matter what planet you’re on,” she chuckled as a scaly rat-like creature darted behind the nearby trash cans.

“And the street food is always greasy and delicious,” Daisy managed to garble out over the kabob she’d already stuck in her teeth as she handed Kora hers. Daisy’s other hand grasped the bag with the rest of her order when she felt something rub up against her shins. She looked down and gasped, “Kora! Look.”

A petite orange and white cat with green eyes looked up at them expectantly and gave a tiny meow.

Kora’s face lit up with joy as she immediately started conversing with the cat. “Hello sweetheart! Aren’t you just the cutest?”

The cat meowed again and glanced at the bag of takeaway.

“Oh that’s our food and Daisy’s hungry,” she continued on with the one-sided conversation.

The cat gave a small, piteous chirp and rubbed up against Daisy’s legs, which melted her cold, hungry heart. “Ok fuzzball. Tell you what. If you make it all the way back to the Zephyr with us, I’ll give you some of our food. Deal?”

The cat meowed again.

Daisy shrugged and looked at Kora, “Did I just make a deal with a cat?”

“Yes you did and I will hold you to it,” she said a took a bite from her kabob.

They were about a dozen city blocks away from the Zephyr. Daisy thought the little creature would lose interest by then.

She was wrong.

The little cat followed them across busy intersections, dodged vehicles, and kept up with them all the way back to the ship.

Daisy sighed and looked down. “I guess I have to hold up my end of the bargain now. Come on in.”

The cat trotted into the Zephyr like he owned the place.

* * *

“So. I guess Bob is our mascot now huh?” Kora grinned excitedly as she set down a bowl on the floor of the mess.

“Bob? You’ve named him already?” Daisy was enamored with the little feline, but she was hesitant on keeping him. Naming him was going to make it harder. She filled the small bowl with assortment of their food.

“Yeah! Kabob. Bob for short. Since we found him at a kabob stand,” Kora gave him a little scratch behind the ears as he ate up his meal.

Daisy thought for a moment and decided to leave it to fate, “If he wants to stay. He can stay.”

And with that declaration, Bob hopped up onto the chair next to Daisy, gave himself a quick bath, and promptly fell asleep.

Kora’s joy quickly dissipated and she looked thoughtful, “Uh. How do we tell Daniel?”

Daisy didn’t look concerned while she absently stroked Bob. “I’m the one in charge of the ship. And plus, I can convince him if I need to.” One side of her lips quirked up mischievously.

Kora knew exactly what she meant by that and groaned internally. She was going to need her noise cancelling headphones again.

“Something smells great! Did you bring back street food again?” Daniel poked his head into the mess.

“Sure did.” Daisy held up a box for him.

“Thanks sweetheart,” he walked over, leaned down, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Uh. Daisy?”

“Yes Daniel?” she said innocently and shoved a forkful of food into her mouth.

“What is that?” he pointed at the chair next to her.

She finished her bite and said smoothly, “That is a cat. His name is Bob.”

Daniel raised his eyebrows, a look of confusion flitting across his face. “You named him?’

“Technically Kora did. His full name is Kabob, after how we found him. I think it’s fitting,” Daisy pet the cat affectionately.

Daniel rubbed his forehead. “Daisy, honey, we live on a spaceship. We can’t have a cat. Also, we’re on another planet. How the hell did a cat wind up here?”

Kora leaned against the wall absently eating as if she were engrossed in her favorite daytime TV drama, which is exactly what this was.

Daisy stood up carefully, trying not to wake Bob, and faced Daniel. “First. Ships have had cats for centuries. They are great for pest control and boost morale. Second. He’s a cat. He does what he wants. Probably how he ended up all the way out here. Third,” she rested her hand on his cheek and gazed at him warmly, “it would make me very happy.” She kissed him gently.

She knew she’d won when she felt his hand at her waist and he kissed her back briefly. “Those are all very compelling arguments. Ok, the cat can stay for now,” he consented.

“Yes!” Kora pumped a fist into the air. “I’m gonna set up a spot for Bob in my bunk.” She tossed the empty takeout container into the bin and scooped up the cat gently, cooing to him as she made her exit.

Daniel and Daisy stood in each other’s arms for a moment longer. “I’ll admit, I completely forgot your sister was there.”

“Uh yeah. Same. Food?”

* * *

“Come on Bob! It’ll be fun! I promise,” Daniel heard Hansen saying from the lab, quickly followed by a series of crashes and the smashing of a beaker or two. He sighed and decided to check it out.

He stood at the door and watched one of the scientists and someone from engineering trying to catch an orange and white blur.

“Awww man! That was almost really cute,” Quynh said, holding up a tiny lab coat.

Daniel thought about saying something but remembered that Hansen and Quynh had never gotten along before. Usually bickering about how Hansen’s experiments were a drain on the Zephyr’s power systems. He decided to leave it be.

Maybe a cat wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

* * *

“Bob. I have to write this report,” Daisy scolded the cat as he walked across the keyboard. “Buddy, please? I will give you my full attention in like 20 minutes, ok?”

Bob decided these were acceptable terms and curled up on her lap. “Thanks.”

Daisy tapped away on the keyboard and at exactly 20 minutes, Bob hopped on the desk at eye level and stared at her green eyes glaring reproachfully, tail swishing and hitting her hand, until she was finished. It was cute and creepy.

“Aaaand done!” She shut the lid of her laptop with purpose. “So, wanna go bother Daniel?” Bob leapt off the desk and paced at the door.

“Figured you might.”

* * *

“Daisy. Daisy!” Kora hissed at her urgently, barely able to keep her voice below a whisper due to her restrained laughter. “You have to come here.”

Kora led her to the lounge where Daniel was fast asleep on the couch, legs propped up on a table.

“God he’s such an old man,” she muttered affectionately as she marveled at his ability to fall asleep literally anywhere. She remembered the time loops where she continuously woke up to him dozed off in a horribly uncomfortable chair. Except, there he didn’t have a small cat cradled in his arms, head resting on his chest.

Daisy shoved her sweatshirt sleeve into her mouth to stifle her giggles. She whipped out her phone and snapped a few pictures.

Kora whispered, voice squeaking with repressed laughter, “And the man didn’t want the cat to stay.”

“I am sooooooo sending this to Mack in the next report.”

* * *

Kora hated this planet and couldn’t wait to get off of it. Too many large, skittering insect-like creatures with too many legs. So far, they weren’t dangerous, but she hated the way they moved and the little clicking sounds they made grated against her nerves, like a metal fork scraping a ceramic bowl.

As she prepared the Zephyr for takeoff, she hoped none of them got onto her ship.

Kora heard it as she shut off her light and crawled into bed. The clicking sound. “Gross gross gross gross,” she muttered to herself as she scrambled for an ICER. Before she could find it, she heard another sound, like the sucking of a bathtub draining, then the clicking was gone. She felt Bob hop up onto the bed. She silently hoped he hadn’t left the insect as a gift for her. Turning on the light, so she could clean up what was left, she was surprised to see nothing left. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Bob licking his chops. That couldn’t be right. Those insects were huge.

Huh.

She curled up with a purring Bob and decided not to think about it.

* * *

They’d had to fall back to the Zephyr, they couldn’t hold their position any longer. Damn ambush. Daniel had both ICERs out trying to cover Daisy and Kora while they made their way back. He was going to need to pack something more powerful from now on at the rate this keeps happening. He knew carrying non-lethal weapons was a gesture of good faith, but his was at its limits.

The ships’ door was lowering as they turned the corner. They were immediately rushed by five more assailants. Daniel couldn’t reload fast enough. Things were looking dire. Kora had been hit in the leg and was on her knees. Daisy’s quake blasts were losing their power. A streak of white and orange came rocketing out of the Zephyr.

“Not now Bob!” Daniel yelled at the cat.

That’s when their most recent assailants disappeared in a wave of tentacles.

The fighting stopped abruptly.

Their attackers gave a reptilian hiss and fled.

Daisy, Kora, and Daniel looked at Bob, dumbfounded. Bob licked his paws as if nothing had happened.

Kora was the first to break the silence, “Are you telling me that I’ve been cuddling a Flerken every night for the past several months?”

Daisy gave Daniel a smug look. “Told ya having a cat on board was a good idea.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this instead of the ending to "The Family We Fought For." Sorry. I'll get on that.  
> This was born out of a post-election haze and the fact I might have lost my remaining braincells at some point this year.
> 
> This is partially based on a true story on how my sister got her first cat. She had some Chinese take out and a little black kitten caught her attention and she promised if he could make it all the way home with her, he could have some. So he did.
> 
> Bob's coloring is based off my/my parent's cat. She's a meanie and I love her.
> 
> So the banana thing. It's my friend's favorite time-travel joke. So that's for you Kat.  
> If you wanna learn about Panama disease go [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_disease#:~:text=Panama%20disease%20\(or%20Fusarium%20wilt,the%20fungus%20Fusarium%20oxysporum%20f.&text=During%20the%201950s%2C%20an%20outbreak,commercial%20Gros%20Michel%20banana%20production.)
> 
> Ship cats are a [thing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship%27s_cat) and it's so cute.
> 
> And as usual, check me out on Tumblr if you enjoy my nonsense. I'm [3friesshortofahappymeal](https://3friesshortofahappymeal.tumblr.com/)


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